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Joseph Alcamo is the Chief Scientist at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). During our interview at a food security conference organised by the European Commission Joint Research Centre, Alcamo talks about the untapped potential of fisheries and the possibilities of achieving food security and environmental protection. At the same conference, we also had the opportunity to speak to Monty P. Jones from the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa and Co-winner of the 2004 World Food Prize, as well as Paulo Gouveia, director of the General Affairs Department at Copa-Cogeca, the European farmers' representation in Brussels.

“We have the means to tackle food insecurity, let us start putting them into action” – that was the general message coming from a conference on food security which the European Parliament’s development committee organised in Brussels on 4 October. In four different panel sessions, Agriculture Commissioner Ciolos and Development Commissioner Piebalgs, but also speakers from the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, but also farmers’ representatives from Western Africa shed light on the problems related to availability of nutritious food, access to land and water, food speculation and the impact of climate change on food production.

Climate change is increasingly playing a role in North-South trade, as carbon emissions are being used as an excuse to protect markets, with poorer countries likely to lose out. A few months before the 17th COP to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa, there is little hope of a binding agreement on greenhouse gas emissions.

The European Union anticipates that the Economic Partnership Agreements could be inked before the end of this year if the EAC states are focused and maintain active engagement throughout the remaining time.

Mr Harvey Rouse, the head of trade section at the European Union delegation to Uganda said, “We are hopeful that if EAC takes active engagement in the remaining few months, we will deliver the required results before the end of the year as the European Commission mandate to negotiate EPAs runs out at the end of this year.”